


exception caught

by bugcity



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Attempt at Humor, College, Computer Programming, Enemies to Friends, Friendship, Gods, Gratuitous Use of Nerdy Language, M/M, Minor Injuries, POV Alternating, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Relationship, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 14:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19889485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugcity/pseuds/bugcity
Summary: Where Jaehyun and Doyoung are gods and Jungwoo is their favorite human who they fight over and, in doing so, accidentally make Jungwoo's life a bit of a mess.





	exception caught

**Author's Note:**

> humor's not my forte but hashtag i tried

If the past 22 years has taught Jungwoo anything, it’s that good things don’t come knocking on his door. Instead, he’s gotta go look for them. Optimistically, earnestly, and without regrets if they don’t go the right way. 

And things don’t go the right way a lot for Jungwoo. 

It’s as if someone had written up his life’s manual with the Do Not Enter sign with one definition, and then wired up the rest of the world’s with the opposite definition. 

He wonders if he’s just perpetually unlucky.

“But how can you be when you got me?” a slurry voice responds.

Taeyong reaches out an arm to have Jungwoo hoist him up from the concrete. Once somewhat steady on his feet, he swings an arm over Jungwoo’s shoulder. The two jostle themselves from the bar's entrance and through the city’s crowded walkways. 

“They were overpriced, _and_ rude,” Taeyong holds up a fist. “I’m gonna shut them down.” 

Taeyong’s face is flushed, already somewhat drunk over the few precious sips he had before they were ceremoniously booted from the establishment. 

Before Jungwoo could quell his friend’s anger, Taeyong shoos his reply away. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. Turn the other cheek, take the high road, be the bigger person. But you know what? I’m already the bigger person. I feed the hungry. I recycle. And I burn those who’ve wronged me with fire and brimstone.”

He puts his hand in his jacket pocket, sticking out his tongue in concentration. With a triumphant flourish, he brings out a mini paper umbrella. The rosy cheeks matches the paper’s pink. “But I still managed to smuggle this!”

Jungwoo gasps. “For me?”

Taeyong nods before neatly tucking his contraband behind Jungwoo’s ear. “We don’t need some fancy bar to celebrate your birthday.” He brings his mouth close as if to whisper, but opts to speak out loud, anyway. “Let’s crash at Johnny’s!”

A declined credit card (for which Taeyong’s always-reliable cash replaced), a grumpy bus driver (who Jungwoo barely managed to pacify) and a mangled band t-shirt (courtesy of a barbed wire fence to prevent trespassers) later, the two are sprawled out in a suburban backyard. 

Jungwoo swings his bottle of beer. It’s his fourth that night. He never could get drunk fast enough, and envies Taeyong for not needing to spend nearly as much for the same effect. 

In an attempt to say so, he nearly tears up from a coughing fit. Taeyong manages to pat his back enough for the former to calm down. The two lie down on the grass, gratefully welcoming the coolness to offset the unnatural heat on a February night.

“Still can’t see the stars,” Taeyong whines at Jungwoo’s side.

“What do you mean?” Jungwoo turns to face the other. “I see one right here.”

“Stop that,” Taeyong scrunches up his nose, laughing between hiccups. “It’s not like I can grant you a wish.”

“I don’t want wishes.”

“You say that every year.” 

Jungwoo hears a long sigh before Taeyong begins his scheduled rant about how special birthday wishes are and how there are only a few minutes before his birthday starts and that if Jungwoo skips this opportunity _again,_ then Taeyong would be Very Upset.

Naturally, there are things about himself that Jungwoo would like to change. The problem is, he just didn’t believe in wishes. But it’s alright. Jungwoo might not be the luckiest person on earth, but he’s lucky enough. 

His eyes flutter to a close just before a twin streak of twinkling white zoom across the night sky.

//

As if wishing on a star would make your prayers be heard.

Well, they _are_ heard, Jaehyun corrects himself. All wishes are heard. It’s about whether they’re acted upon by the gods that matters.

As a god, it’s not that Jaehyun _doesn't_ want to turn every human’s prayer into reality. It's that it just isn't part of his job description. Yes, he's powerful. But he's not the only powerful one, you see. There are levels upon levels of beings above him, with a whole system of rules and punishments in place if he sought to stomp around places he oughtn't be.

Of course, he has occasionally daydreamed of becoming his own boss. Start up his own shop. He's seen a few others do it. They’d file for intergalactic loans and whip up a nice, quaint little habitable planet for themselves. But that process involves a bit of working incognito behind your current company's back. Little things, like truancy, white lies about lunch breaks, taking frequent and irregular sick days and all that. And even thinking about his boss's hypothetical disappointed face in that scenario makes Jaehyun queasy.

You know the saying, it's Winwin's world and we're just living in it.

Theoretically, he _can_ go against protocol and cater to the humans' whims without being specifically assigned to do so. That's not _way_ out of bounds. The other gods do it every once in a while, get some of that good ol' earthside validation, maybe poke their heads down there once or twice and get a cute following. He can grant nearly any of the prayers he's heard, just like that. He’s a being with an impressive standing, after all. 

(Let it be known that gods, Jaehyun notwithstanding, don't merely appear into existence with their powers. Sure, everyone has potential. But Jaehyun worked his butt off to cultivate his toolbox, yes he did. The esteemed employee plaque of client-focused delivery isn't simply given to anyone.)

See, that's exactly why he never does scribble outside the lines. It's just not as fulfilling for him. Why seek validation from hymns written by the smaller ants, when you've already got glory from the bigger elephants?

Jaehyun found it illogical that the humans saw him and his fellow employees as all-powerful. Gods can't be all-powerful, that'd be utterly chaotic! Look what happened when the gods thought they could play around and give humans a teeny bit of power. They’ve practically run the planet to the ground.

Nah. Free will is one thing, but freedom is another. And honestly, Jaehyun is perfectly content following the rules. 

He marvels at the completion of his latest work from a distance. Nodding, he awards himself a pat on the back because the gods know nobody else will, least of all these tragic humans. He does a quick prayer before opening his cosmic mailbox for his next assignment.

//

“Ahem." 

The secretary of the heavens pauses filing his nails to smile sweetly at his guest, but doesn’t bother to reposition himself from the perched feet up on his desk. 

“What a pleasant surprise, Doyoung.”

“It’s Doyoung _sir_ ,” the guest bristles slightly.

“Yes, I know it’s you, Doyoung,” the secretary gives a punctuated chuckle while placing a hand on his chest. “And formalities aren’t needed with me. Please, Haechan is fine.”

“Haechan, I swear to Winwin,” Doyoung snaps his fingers and a holographic projection appears between the two of them. “If you don’t explain yourself right this minute, then I’m taking your insubordination straight up to the boss.”

Haechan finally drops his legs to the floor and leans forward, a grin etched on his face. 

The projection is titled: 

Earth-14791: February 09, 2020.

Below displays a map of a particular midsize city in the Atlantic coast of North America. On top of this map is a three-dimensional, animated webbed network of millions of humans, live streams of them going about their current lives. Informational texts label each human, along with pulsing blue threads of interpersonal connections they weave with the others. 

“It’s simple, Doyoung-”

“ _Sir._ ”

“I told you, silly, just call me Haechan. So, Doyoung, what you see here is your next assignment. Now I understand that’s a little hard to understand, but basically, that involves work. Sorry to break it to you, but heavy is the head that wears a crown and all.”

Doyoung takes a deep breath, counting backwards from infinity in a couple dozen languages simultaneously to calm himself down. 

“I understand _what_ it is. What I want to know is _why_ you’ve made the mistake of double-booking.” He manually moves the hologram to the assigned god section, where it displays two figures posing for an imaginary camera just beyond the viewer. Each figure seems woefully unaware of the other’s presence, each taking over the entire section so that they are overlapping.

“Me, making a mistake. Now there’s a thought.”

“Haechan, please. You know I don’t like sharing humans.”

“Now, don’t sell yourself short.”

“I’m serious. Giving us partners is just going to increase our work.” 

What Doyoung said isn’t entirely wrong. Maybe other pairs of gods could make a fine partnership together. But if his few unfortunate paired encounters had taught him anything, it’s that he’ll inevitably end up commandeering the whole two-person mission. And it’s not _his_ fault that such a move meant universal time had to be slowed down. His powers were commendable, but he couldn’t simply double his output. And Doyoung is not a half-asser by any means, thank you very much. And if that means turning his assignments in late, then so be it.

“I just don’t want us to step on each other’s toes, you know?” Doyoung slouches his shoulders, hoping he’d come off as somewhat agreeable. “So why don’t you split this assignment in two?”

“No.”

Doyoung’s face falls. “But why.”

“Because I’m an employee with a boring desk job and the least you field agents could do is to give me some amusement,” Haechan props his feet back up on the table and picks up his nail file again. “So go down there and try not to set the world on fire. Or do, it’s your call. Give me a show, Doyoung.”

//

“You could’ve knocked, by the way.”

Taeyong glowers to Johnny’s comment. Once the latter is out of earshot, he turns towards Jungwoo happily slurping away his cereal, swinging his legs through the kitchen barstool. “Know your rights, Jungwoo," Taeyong warns. "You don’t have to listen to anything Johnny says.” 

Jungwoo munches silently before he swallows. “But I like him.”

“You like _everyone,_ ” Taeyong’s whine is cut short with the homeowner’s return to the breakfast nook. “Don’t trust the bourgeoisie,” Taeyong quickly whispers. He sits back up straight on his own seat, looking ahead and unfazed.

Johnny curiously cocks his head at Taeyong, a smile escaping his lips. He thinks better of it, and then places a sack of clementines on the kitchen counter.

“Take the lot home, Jungwoo. And I’m not taking no for an answer,” Johnny holds up a hand. “I bought more than I can eat.”

Taeyong scoffs, mumbling. “Why did he buy so much, then.”

“Because I knew you’d bring him here again,” Johnny leans against the counter. “Why, Taeyong? What do you want me to buy for you?”

“Freedom from my socioeconomic dependency as a need for basic survival. Anyways,” he spins in his stool towards Jungwoo again. “What do you wanna do today?”

“Office hours,” Jungwoo puts down his bowl, and wipes his milk-stained lips across the back of his hand.

“What! You told me you’d bunk today to celebrate!”

“We woke up early enough, so that must mean I should go,” Jungwoo hops down from the stool and makes his way to the sink. “It’s a sign, Taeyong!”

“If only someone didn’t wake us up so early.”

“Next time, come through the front. My door is always open for you,” Johnny says.

Taeyong sighs.

Dishes cleaned and dried, Jungwoo makes his way back and places an arm over Taeyong’s shoulder. “We’ll hang out later, okay?” Taking a grumble as a satisfactory reply, Jungwoo heads for the front door. “Thank you for breakfast and the clementines, Johnny! I’ll catch you later!”

“He’s too good for his own good,” Taeyong drops his chin onto his hands as he stares at the used milk carton on the bar. 

“Is that so terrible?” Johnny eases up onto the now-empty stool next to him. 

“It _is_ ,” Taeyong begins slowly as what he’s seeing dawns on him. “Did you forget?” he turns to Johnny, a murderous glint directed at him. “You absolute _fool_. He’s allergic to almond milk!”

“Oh, god.”

Taeyong closes his eyes. “I hate being right. We really can’t trust the bourgeoisie.” 

//

“And so,” the hologram splits neatly into two at the flick of Doyoung’s wrist. “We’ll each control half the population, with nearly no interpersonal relationships traversing the divide. Now how’s that for a plan?”

Jaehyun’s favorite thing about his job is the predictability of it. Balance the sins and virtues of each human, feed the output into one of finite algorithms, and deliver the resulting fate unto them. The more efficiently the gods carry out their roles, the better they are rewarded. 

(They are supremely powerful, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy temporary pleasures.)

With the incentive program in place, gods are encouraged to take the shortest of paths. It’s very simple. And theoretically, any god can rise up the ranks as bountifully as Jaehyun has. 

Theoretically. 

But the god in front of him reminds Jaehyun just why his fellow employees have a problem sticking to the basics.

With the sweetest of smiles, Jaehyun shakes his head.

The other god crosses his arms. “And what’s the reason?”

“Because I know your type.” 

“Uh huh. And what’s my type?”

“Your type with a desire for turning our occupation into a creative pursuit. Your type to let the majority of your population build up even more karmic points rather than to simply nullify their existing balance. And in your quest to butter up your own ego, you’ll be willingly swayed by their human emotions. In short, you’re the type to grant wishes.”

“Good god… after all these years, you're _still_ a nerd.”

Jaehyun’s stoic facade falters ever so slightly. 

“Look, I understand you want to do well, alright? You want that sticker of approval from the big boss to add to your giant sticker book collection, I get that. But you see, some of us aren’t,” Doyoung gestures with his arms, fishing for the right word. “Boring. So why don’t you do your thing with your half of the city, and I’ll do my half my way?”

“And what, be content earning a 50% approval for this assignment?” Jaehyun silently gloats at Doyoung’s retorts. “Apologies, but do note that this is not a personal jab. I’m not one for partnered assignments.” 

“Fine. That makes the two of us. How about we talk to the code reviewer, ask them to grade us based only on our individual work-”

“This city is just as much under my jurisdiction as it is yours. No, I can’t simply ignore half the population by putting them in your hands.”

Doyoung massages his temples. The action is really an effect of observing humans for millennia, rather than any actual headache he could’ve felt. But Doyoung suspects that Jaehyun could well be breaking through his god-tier pain threshold. He tries again, tamer this time.

“Let’s look at the big picture here, yeah? What’s the worst that can happen if we punish and reward beyond the humans’ allotted points in this life? So they’re born again. Is that really a bad thing?”

“Yes. Yes it is. Our job description quite clearly states so.” 

Jaehyun wonders how a whole god could possibly be so dim-witted. Perhaps it’s a side-effect of walking too closely with the humans. This particular god seems to have a penchant for that. The whole concept is to upgrade the humans on a regular basis so they may escape the cycle of reincarnation. Jaehyun would’ve assumed that, by walking amongst the crowd, Doyoung would have learned how meaningless life down below is. That nothing could be more noble than the gods neatly cleaning up the loose change within each human to pull them out of constant births and deaths.

“Agree to disagree, then.” 

Doyoung normally isn’t one for easy losses, but he swears he’s losing years of his life with this never-ending argument. If Jaehyun prefers taking the bland route and quite possibly turning into an inert rock at the lack of excitement he allows himself, then so be it. But Doyoung, for one, seeks job satisfaction. And for Doyoung, job satisfaction often veers somewhat perpendicular to the textbook job competency that Jaehyun strives for. Yeah, so Doyoung may have something of an addiction for taking the creative route. And yeah, that’d nearly always result in more birth cycles before the humans are pulled out. But that’s what makes things _fun_.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning you do you and I’ll do me,” Doyoung snaps his fingers and the hologram disintegrates into a gentle shower. “All the humans are fair game for either of us.” 

“I’ll see you down below, then.”

“I do hope not.”

//

Jungwoo never makes it to office hours that morning. 

His allergy-induced nausea leads him straight back to the dorms, where he spends the rest of the morning doubled up on the floor, waiting for his medication (which he had conveniently let expire) to take effect. Teaching moment there: old pills are no good. But on the bright side, he doesn’t go into anaphylactic shock. 

It’s the small things.

Once his pain subsides, he chooses to spend the remainder of the time before his volunteer service on a stroll around the neighborhood. The community of dormitories is unexpectedly a ghost town. Jungwoo takes advantage of the empty sidewalks and stretches out his limbs. 

The weather is warm for this season - cloudy and drenching in humidity, but warm. But that, too, proves to be a blessing, since Jungwoo’s coat had recently gotten “misplaced” at the laundromat. Even the squirrels stay away from, for once.

All in all, it’s the start of a very good day.

//

It is Neutral Day.

The day that the previous city god’s program had been decommissioned, and the day the city's new godly duo have not yet rolled out their own updated version. Outside a few tinkerings as the gods test their plan, the system override takes over the humans’ fates. 

To the privileged lot, it means the day will go terribly. 

To those who previously held the short end of the stick, the day will be pristine, and possibly the best day of their lives. 

But to the exceptionally average human, it will be exceptionally average.

Doyoung normally takes his assignment day to scour the premises from above. He’d like to get into the minds of each member of the population, and peruse their database of wants and needs, their fears and desires. Together, their thoughts would help him create a basic trajectory of his plan for the city.

This assignment isn’t so different. Only that this time, any plan he sets into motion can and will be interrupted by another god’s whims.

Contrary to Jaehyun’s accusations, Doyoung isn’t one to grant wishes all willy-nilly. He doesn’t purposefully seek out to boost his ego. Especially not since the humans' words of gratitude for _his_ wishes are always uttered in the name of other gods - usually ones from years earlier who actually did end up being attention-seeking bringers of miracles. Exhibitionists, if you will.

True to his word, Doyoung is looking for fun. And fun could disguise itself in a variety of ways. Simply giving the humans what they asked for is not a very fun way of going about a god’s job, if we are being honest. 

And Doyoung? Doyoung is nothing but honest. 

He doesn’t simply love playing with human fate. He relishes it. There’s just something gratifying about causing a reaction that had no action, no logic, no catalyst to begin with. Punishing the wicked, rewarding the good, now that’s just bland work. 

What Doyoung prefers, is the unexpected.

//

“One small americano, please.”

No matter what body he materializes himself as, Jaehyun always feels stiff. This time around, he had chosen to land in an alleyway adjacent to an unassuming coffee shop as a mid-twenties year-old man, looking just a tad too well-off for the neighborhood.

He smiles politely at the cashier in the most human way he could muster before he picks up his order and steps outside.

The old, brisk-walking-with-coffee-in-hand routine has been his go-to for the past few decades. He doesn’t like to be approached. Human interaction is not his forte. And so, he had devised this clever little plan to look like he has places to be and people to see. All the while, his inner gears will be intently cranking away to concoct his prize-winning little programs customized for each soul in the city.

“Excuse me! Do you have a moment?”

As a god, the ultimate multitasker, Jaehyun has plenty of moments. He doesn’t necessarily want to give one to this human, but he has to. It’s just plain rude, otherwise.

“My name is Jungwoo! Would you like to hear about how you can help the wildlife?”

Jaehyun barely registers whatever charity organization Jungwoo is pitching. Instead, as he peers closer, he immediately becomes intrigued at this human’s inner workings. 

He’s like his own self-contained ecosystem. Karmic points hardly ever cancel out completely for a human without divine intervention, but this one’s did. Jaehyun briefly zooms through the human’s lifetime and notes that after any minor transgression, the universe had immediately punished the human. And for just the right amount, too. Never more, never less. And the same case for his good deeds and rewards following up to them. His points are constantly fluctuating, but his net balance always came back to zero. 

So, in the case of this human, Jaehyun’s job is to simply… do nothing. 

“Oh my god.”

The new inflection in Jungwoo’s words brought Jaehyun back to reality. Jungwoo had become overly enthusiastic and as a result, Jaehyun’s cup of coffee lay spilled on the ground between them.

“I’m so sorry! Please, you have to let me buy you another cup.”

Despite polite reluctance, Jaehyun finds himself at a nearby cafe sitting in front of a steaming cup and a companion.

“Well?” Jungwoo looks at him expectant, then down at Jaehyun’s coffee.

“Ah, I don’t actually drink coffee.”

“Oh?” Jungwoo cocks his head, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“I just like the smell of it.”

Jungwoo nods, as if in understanding. After a satisfied minute of silence, he whips out his tablet again and begins talking about his charity service in earnest.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun displays a polite facade but his brain reels. How is a specimen so perfectly crafted? He goes through this human's revision history in order to find the god who had written a program as self-serving as this one. 

Or maybe there is no algorithm, no god. Maybe he is born with it. Maybe it's-

“Taeyong!”

“I’ve never seen you around before,” Jungwoo’s friend says after pulling up a chair. He gives Jaehyun a once-over, visibly suspicious at everything he sees.

Jaehyun smiles but remains quiet.

“Are you a transfer student?” Taeyong persists.

“I’m visiting,” Jaehyun replies. It’s not that far off from the truth, anyway.

Before Taeyong asks any more prying questions, Jaehyun decides to make his leave.

“Wait,” Jungwoo blurts out, holding up the tablet.” Would you like to make a contribution?”

Jaehyun gives an imperceptible nod and barely grazes the screen with a finger. The form fills itself out immediately, credit card info and all. 

“Nice meeting you,” another polite smile is thrown at their way. And then Jaehyun is gone.

Taeyong squints through the window as the figure recedes down the street. 

“And you just happened to bump into him? I don’t know, Jungwoo, he seems off.” 

Jungwoo is staring at his tablet in awe. “He signed up for the excelsior package,” he looks up. “I like him.”

Taeyong drops his face into his hands.

From a distance, Jaehyun finishes weighing his pros and cons. He decides to cast a minor enchantment upon the Perfect Human. Who knows what wild plans Doyoung has for this error-free soul. But Jaehyun figures that, even though the other god could easily bring down the enchantment with a snap, doing so would at least alert Jaehyun when his protection came down. And down he’d swoop, to reset the human's wiring back to its former glory.

//

If there’s one thing Doyoung could not back out of, it’s a challenge. 

That’s why he’s always insisted on making his human assignments more difficult than they needed to be. Simply voiding their points total is child’s play. It’s like solving a rubix cube, where some people intentionally twist and turn the rows before they begin to solve it. 

Heaven’s profits be damned, Doyoung will take as much time as he wants to complete his assignments. It’s not as if they can fire a god, anyway.

And if a human challenge is so enticing to him, why, a god’s challenge is even more, a hundred-fold. That’s precisely why the sliver of protection Jaehyun had cast over Jungwoo brings Doyoung to the human as a lighthouse to a stranded boat. A human with a touch of god over his presence? Jaehyun might as well have marched up to Doyoung and physically raised a giant flag to start off a duel between the two gods.

That’s why, no more than a fraction of a second after Jaehyun moves onwards, Doyoung materializes in his place.

As part of Jaehyun’s corporate rewards for his efficiency, his enchantment is stronger than Doyoung has the power to dissolve entirely without setting off the tripwire. Doyoung could see, not touch. Metaphorically speaking, anyway. But that doesn’t stop him. On the contrary, he doubles his resolve to find out just what Jaehyun wants so badly to hide from him.

//

“Was there nobody else to cover Yangyang’s shift?”

The two friends are outside again, with Jungwoo optimally positioned in front of the plaza’s main walkway. The lunch rush had just begun. Armed with alert hawk eyes and his tablet’s sign-up list nearing completion, Jungwoo surveys the area for passerby. 

“Dunno. But I don’t mind,” Jungwoo compensates his friend’s sullenness with a sunny smile. “It’s a beautiful day out!”

“I practically begged Kun to keep your birthday free,” Taeyong kicks a pebble. “It’s just not right.”

“What’s not right?” A third voice questions, causing both of them to jump and turn around. 

After a moment to gather himself, Jungwoo briefly gauges the man in front of him. He is happily munching at a packet of chips in hand and sports a hint of mischief.

“Polystyrene foam,” Jungwoo says. “Better known as styrofoam.”

Taking the man’s single blink as a cue to continue, Jungwoo launches into his sales pitch. 

“I’m Jungwoo, and I represent the state’s Wildlife Over Waste program. Did you know that styrofoam is one of the worst forms of plastic pollution? This stuff never degrades! Why should something we use for a few minutes threaten our wildlife and pollute our earth for centuries? That’s why we are asking our state leaders to ban take-out styrofoam containers. Do we have your support?”

The man’s gaze drifts down at Jungwoo’s grip on his tablet against his chest, all while showing a coy grin telltale of absolutely nothing altruistic. “And what about those businesses who depend on styrofoam?”

“I’m glad you asked! That’s why, along with our petition, we are also raising funds to support research towards an environmentally-friendly alternative for these businesses. We have several monthly donation packages for you-”

“These businesses,” the man interrupts, pausing to pop another chip in his mouth and crunching in thought. “I’m guessing you’ll punish them based on the damage they’ve already caused?”

“A retroactive green fee,” Taeyong wonders aloud. “This guy has a point. Note it down, Jungwoo. Let’s see if we can get some traction with the higher-ups.”

Surprised by the reminder that there’s a third character in the scene, the man looks at Taeyong. The latter gives a firm nod in affirmation in his direction.

“No,” Jungwoo speaks slowly, gears churning as he makes up his mind. “We want to protect people, not punish them.”

The man snorts, as if humored by some inside joke in his own head. Hearing no reply, Jungwoo takes a deep breath and kept with his script.

“Moving onto our donation packages, our most generous donors sign up for a monthly recurring donation of $500. Would you like to up for the excelsior package?”

“Do you believe in incentives, Jungwoo?” The man’s tone keeps bordering more on banter than on genuine interest.

Jungwoo keeps his demeanor, smiles and all. “We believe that our donors’ internal satisfaction in making a difference to our planet is a bigger reward than anything we could ever give them.”

Another pause (sans the munching), and Jungwoo trudges forward.

“We also have a smaller donation option of $100 a month-”

“And a reward for you hardworking volunteers, then?” In between licking his fingers, the man’s interruptions were relentless. “Surely you deserve at least a choice in your shift.” 

“A fair argument,” Taeyong chirps up again. He looks over at Jungwoo. “You really ought to talk to Kun about your hours.”

Jungwoo normally doesn’t hurry his script unless the other person physically starts distancing themselves. But he is considering making an exception this time.

“We also have monthly donation packages for recurring $50 and $20 payments. If you prefer, you can also give a one-time donation of your choice. We accept cash and all major credit cards.”

The man silently measures Jungwoo again as his eyes bore through his head. 

“You really don’t want to be rewarded, Jungwoo?”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m rewarded in here,” Jungwoo places his free hand over his chest. “That’s enough for me.”

“Pity,” the sly grin is back as he tosses an empty chips packet into a nearby trashcan and turns on his heel to leave. “It’s not enough for me.”

“Will you sign our petition, at least?” Jungwoo yells.

“Can’t add my name to a cause I don’t believe in!” A sing-song voice yells back.

“Right, so. I know I’m normally the voice of reason between us, but that guy?” Taeyong jerks his head. “He’s a good guy. I mean, he’s real, he's honest, and he sees the big picture, you know?”

“Uh huh.” Jungwoo stares at the receding figure with a frown.

//

There is an object called the universal singleton, where only one of it may exist on any system at any given time within this universe. Nobody is sure where it is or what it does, but everyone is in agreement that without it, the universe would cease to exist. This object is Winwin.

//

“I expected some tampering from you. But turning that human’s scales upside down, well that’s just something else.” Jaehyun’s voice is even, and if Doyoung hadn’t known any better, he sounds quite pleasant.

“Weren’t you the one who insisted on sharing?” Doyoung says innocently.

“That human’s programming is special. It’s always been impossible for gods to create perfect software given human free will and its moving variables, thus needing our revisions. But that human? That human is already perfect.” 

“Oh, loosen up. Aren’t you at least a little curious to test out the strength of this so-called special programming? If it’s as self-regulating as it looks like, it should be perfectly able to handle what I threw at him.” 

“Of course I’m curious. But quality assurance must be done in small steps. Not with excessive scale that you set him up with. Who knows how his program will react?” 

“Please, don’t be dramatic.”

“Dramatic? You’ve exponentially rose his rewards configuration.” 

“Look, I haven’t tied your hands behind your back, alright? So feel free to play around with his fate.” Doyoung’s smile is sickly sweet. “Just know that I’ll be doing the same. It’s not fair that you wanted to keep the most interesting toy for yourself, you know.” 

To hell with professional etiquette. “You are the most stubborn thing on this planet,” Jaehyun says through grit teeth.

//

Jungwoo has always been wary about prayer.

It kind of goes hand-in-hand with wishing upon stars. He believes it takes more than simply thinking things into existence. Or maybe it takes more than _him_ thinking, since he's never seen his unspoken wishes come true, anyway. But the text he gets just then turns it all around.

[10:33 AM] Demon Spawn: guess who's getting out of this dump!!! [fire emoticon] [fire emoticon] [running person emoticon]

Jungwoo lets out a gasp. After nearly a year of procedures and one too many close calls, defeating all odds defined by science, his baby brother is finally discharged from the hospital.

He blurts an apology to Taeyong for skipping their lunch date before hopping on the first train to upstate.

The short train ride feels long, too long. The rolling plains are dotted with pockets of trees and the sun beats down on the reflecting waters as it zooms through the countryside. During this time, squished between a smelly passenger to one side and another listening to loud music on the other, he finally feels it. This is bliss.

He hasn't been happier in his entire life.

"Why are you here."

Without a word, Jungwoo marches into the living room and scoops up Chenle to give him a rib-crushing squeeze.

"Get off," Chenle squirms.

"I can't believe it," Jungwoo mumbles with his face still burrowed into Chenle's shoulder. When he lets go, a tiny splotch of tears stay stained on his shirt.

"Gross."

Jungwoo holds Chenle out at arms length while twisting him around. "Are you all good now? I spoke to Mom and she said the doc mentioned side-effects from the transplant?"

"Yeah, side-effects that he's alive, unfortunately," Jisung perks up to his side.

"Don't be a dick," Chenle says, jabbing an elbow into his best friend's hip.

It’s jarring seeing his brother in regular clothes, outside the stuffy long-term hospital wing with its aseptic smells and the constant neon glow of his vitals monitor. Jungwoo tries to remember the last time Chenle wasn't wearing a patient outfit. He’s still in disbelief, seeing his brother standing and laughing and talking in front of him. Although the recovery process is only beginning, Jungwoo notices the absence of resignation in Chenle's eyes. The weariness that followed him for months is replaced by the brightest of light, that sliver of a sunrise cutting through the dark to signal the start of another beginning. 

And Jungwoo begins to believe in hope.

//

"Something terrible is going to happen."

"Sir genius-a-lot strikes again."

The gods rendezvous amidst a clearing of a forest within the city limits. 

Jaehyun stands, his hands opening and closing into fists and resulting in the nearby wildflowers to bloom and die and bloom again. Doyoung sits leaning his back against a tree trunk, legs comfortably stretched out in front of him.

"That's the thing about brute force testing, ya know. You just gotta throw things at them and see how they react."

"But we know how he'll react! If left on his own, anyway."

“Oh shit? Don’t tell me you’re finally gonna be interfering.”

“I’m not ‘interfering,’ we’re in this together. Otherwise, his system is going to find a single, equally massive punishment to balance him out again.”

"How can we be sure about that unless we let the program run its course?"

“A big reward will most certainly be nullified by a big punishment,” Jaehyun closes his eyes. “The only way to overcome that is for me to inflict several smaller punishments to balance the scale again.”

“But how can you be _sure_?”

Jaehyun throws a plain look at Doyoung.

Doyoung shrugs before yawning. “Do whatever. But you’re making a mistake. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

//

Two hours later, Jungwoo is dead.

Or that’s the most logical explanation he could come up with, anyway. Up until then, he’d given the idea of life after death little thought, citing the lack of proof and the assumption that he’s going to find out at one point or another, anyway. He just didn’t think it’d be this soon.

His life doesn’t exactly end, though. It just becomes, well. A lot. 

Jungwoo doesn’t feel like he’s in heaven. But his surroundings don’t quite feel like hell, either. And he hasn’t been reincarnated, not in the conventional, being born again kind of sense. 

Jungwoo is still Jungwoo, a 22 year-old living in some form of the same world as he had always been. He decides that life after death means being transported into a parallel universe where he hadn’t died (most likely in a train accident on the way back home), and things simply picked right back up where they last ended.

Jungwoo could only assume these things. He doesn’t have any memory of his death, but it must’ve been gruesome enough for his brain to block it out completely, leading to a seamless transition from that universe to this one.

Yes, that’s the only explanation, he decides as he sees yet another certain notification on his phone. 

//

"What is going _on_?"

The two gods are perched among the clouds as they observe the city’s inhabitants with their updated software. Jaehyun sits cross-legged on a fluffy cumulus. In the meantime, Doyoung is pacing to and fro on a higher stratus, thinning out the cloud's material even further.

"I can't say I've been giving him sunshine and rainbows, but it's been pretty damn close. And he's not even responding properly!" Doyoung throws his hands up in the air. "All my years, I haven't dealt with such an unpredictable nuisance."

"But isn't this what you wanted? A challenge?"

"He isn't a challenge! He's an impossibility!" Doyoung flies down to Jaehyun's altitude and stands, arms at his hips. "Look, there's a human down there that neither of us can predict. A _human_. You've gotta admit this makes no sense."

“I’ve been telling you,” Jaehyun peers down at Jungwoo attempting to climb a dangerously rickety branch of a tree. "I've ran him across every single one of my rules engines and he's an anomaly."

"So that's it, then. Jungwoo is not a human, but a test. Boss man has finally decided to fire us and he can only do that if we do our jobs poorly. But you know us," Doyoung suddenly materializes himself with a polo just to pop a collar, for emphasis. "So he decided he'll have us fired by failing on a technicality."

Jaehyun wonders if Doyoung had just complimented him by accident by using the plural _us_ , but thought the better of it. "But you do know that we'd be doing our jobs just fine if you left that human alone. He's perfectly calibrated to handle his own balance."

Doyoung moves closer to Jaehyun with a grin that knew too much. "So why are you putting your hand in this mess?"

Jaehyun prefers to keep his answer to himself. So why not let the human's system take care of the punishments to counter Doyoung's rewards? Jaehyun had poured over the specifics around the code that made up the human's system. The algorithm will give a few, strong and incredibly potent punishments for Doyoung’s ridiculous rewards. But Jaehyun chooses to deliver the punishments in several weaker doses. 

Not that it makes a difference in the long run, as long as the net sum is as close to zero as possible. But it’s the principle of things. Jaehyun isn't a human, but he has morals.

So he decides diverting the conversation is the way to go. Jaehyun looks down at the city again. "What's your game plan right now?"

"Taking another route. Maybe the kid prefers fame over fortune. Or maybe he wants to be the hero. I don't know, dude, I'm just punching in the dark at this point."

"Huh."

Jungwoo has finally reached his goal: a tiny, frightened kitten at the far end of the branch. He gently coaxes it with small sounds and an outstretched hand that’s close, but not touching. Below stands a small group of high schoolers, frozen at the sight. One of them has his hands held in tight fists. The other two stand on either side, looking equally concerned.

Finally, the kitten decides she could trust this giant creature and the strange sounds he is emitting. She puts a tiny foot forward, hesitant. A nearby car horn confirms her decision as she sprints the remaining distance from the branch's edge and into the protection of Jungwoo's jacket.

The crowd below whoops and hollers in celebration. The boy in the center lets out a relieved sigh. Jungwoo gently pries the kitten's claws from his chest and holds her down for the boy to reach up before he begins climbing down. The kitten immediately burrowed her head in between the boy's collarbones and the boy began peppering kisses all over her head.

Above, Doyoung claps in finality. "That should take him down a happy path."

Jaehyun stays silent while keeping sight of the scene.

Just as Jungwoo takes a step down to a lower branch, the wind picks up out of nowhere, blowing dust into his eyes. Jungwoo is thrown off balance and falls down the rest of the way, flailing as he tries - and fails - to find something to slow his fall.

"Oh, you cruel thing," Doyoung wipes away an imaginary tear. "Whatever made him deserve such pain."

Jaehyun would've scowled if that human expression isn't beneath him. His punishment might not be enough to fully counter the blessings coming out of this cat rescue and the impending friendship and saviordom. But bones can heal. That’s the difference.

//

“It’s the aliens,” Taeyong declares.

It’s late afternoon and the two are in the backyard of Jungwoo’s new home, which he had become the perplexed homeowner to just an hour earlier. 

By some fluke that’s only imaginable in the fictional works of the mass forwarded emails from the late 90s, a distant, unknown great-aunt had kicked the bucket after leaving a mansion of a house and an impressively colorful array of sports cars to Jungwoo’s name. 

The representative for the dead aunt’s estate had been waiting for him at the hospital entrance where Jungwoo got his arm cast. This, Jungwoo had found rather odd. He also appeared in a hurry, hardly double-checking Jungwoo’s identification, which Jungwoo had found even more odd.

The heat spell showed no signs of cooling down. With that in mind, Jungwoo had decided a small cookout could make for a housewarming party. Jungwoo doesn’t exactly have the longest list of friends, but he sent a courtesy invite to a few acquaintances while accepting the fact that hardly any will actually show up. 

But the party shall go on, Jungwoo decided. With Taeyong manning the grill (courtesy of the fact that the house came fully furnished with his dead aunt’s expensive taste) and Jungwoo prepping the salad with his good arm, they start making themselves a satisfying spread.

“I don’t know,” Jungwoo considers his friend’s theory. “Not enough evidence for aliens.”

“And there’s evidence for your died-and-gone-into-a-parallel-universe idea?”

“My idea doesn’t _need_ evidence. But aliens? On _Earth_?”

“That cat that you rescued from the tree the other day?” Taeyong nods gravely. “I’m betting that was the alien. And now it’s showing gratitude for your service. See, the Egyptians were onto something.”

“The Egyptians associated cats with _gods_ , not aliens.”

“What makes you think there’s a difference?”

Jungwoo is about to respond when the doorbell’s chimes echo through the house and out the backdoor. 

“‘Sup.” 

He sees the cat-owner and his posse in tow. The group had been introduced to Jungwoo’s life no less than an hour prior and they had already made themselves comfortable, warming up to Jungwoo with equal parts admiration and familiarity. 

“Sweet crib, man,” one of the kids points out as they make their way towards the backyard.

“Just a little something as a thank you,” cat-owner raises up a small gift bag at Jungwoo.

Taeyong stares at the exchange before giving Jungwoo a pointed look.

More guests arrive. Jungwoo had invited his volunteering buddies, and is delighted to see the whole list arrive. Jaehyun, too - Jungwoo was throwing caution to the wind, inviting him. He had used Jaehyun’s personal phone number on the volunteer file for his own use, which is a pretty big no-no. But he figured having coffee once would’ve bridged their relationship beyond the volunteer-donor level. Even his roommate, the guy Jungwoo barely sees in his own dorm, shows up with flowers.

His joy is immediately brought down when he sees the chips man. 

Jungwoo doesn’t remember inviting him.

"We're a two-piece set, my guy," he throws an arm up over Jaehyun's shoulder. He then does a casual salute at Jungwoo. “Name’s Doyoung. We’ve met.”

Jungwoo measures the uninvited newcomer with wary eyes. It’s not that Jungwoo dislikes Doyoung. There wasn't much interaction between the two up until then, anyway. It’s just the vibe that’s off with him. But it’s hard to pinpoint. Even Taeyong, the strict gatekeeper of all, strangers and friends alike, took a liking to the guy.

"Pleased to see you again," Jungwoo says but he’s not happy, not really. He is a master liar, even if he uses his skill rarely.

"Must be nice, living this life of yours," Doyoung’s gaze roams around the backyard dotted with ornate shrubbery and flowerbeds, trees flanking the perimeter, and a fountain as the centerpiece. "You're a lucky one, aren't you?"

"Lucky," Jaehyun looks at Doyoung with a deadpan expression. When he turns to look at Jungwoo, he’s suddenly all smiles. "Imagine, leaving human fate to a roll of a die."

Jungwoo scoffs at that and Doyoung raises a brow. "Why, you don't think the universe runs by randomness?"

"Of course not." 

If the hours pouring over his chemistry textbook last semester had taught Jungwoo anything, it's that nothing comes from nothing. The reason for the universe's existence has a million theories, but one thing's for certain - it needed a catalyst. And if there was a catalyst, then there was a beginning, a reason to the randomness. Conservation of energy and all that. Of course, when it comes to humans though, luck and randomness were certainly involved.

“The universe needs a reason for existence. But we don’t.”

Doyoung smoothly slides off Jaehyun and takes a proper look at Jungwoo, tilting his head up for Jungwoo to continue.

"It's just that. To think that the power that was able to create," Jungwoo vaguely gestures at their surroundings, "all of this, this whole package, decided that our puny lives are worth architecting? It seems rather selfish of us, doesn't it?"

Jaehyun blinks.

"I mean, when you have the entire universe to take care of, when you're the composer of this massive orchestra, why would you be so pent over the buzzing of a couple of mosquitoes?"

The two guests remain silent for a split second before their eyes simultaneously lit up.

"What I'd like to know," Jaehyun begins with a warm smile. "Is why you assume the universe would even leave a mosquito of a creation to randomness."

"Or why you'd assume there's only one power to begin with," Doyoung grins as he backs up and leans against his partner’s chest. "Seems rather selfish of you, doesn't it?"

Jungwoo frowns at Doyoung before responding to Jaehyun. "I just assumed the creator was powerful enough to kick things off and then leave for eternal holiday, you know. So they wouldn't have to get down and dirty and write all our stories by hand."

"Oh, thank Win-, I mean, thank god we haven't perfected it," Doyoung sighs, looking fondly at the fire hazard the cat posse are cooking up on the grill. "Otherwise the gods would be out of jobs, wouldn't they? One can only assume, anyway."

"I don’t believe that," Jungwoo plops down on a nearby garden bench. "The ones who made everything couldn’t have fallen short on making themselves room for a vacation afterwards."

Jaehyun shrugs. "Free will makes it kind of hard to just wind up humans with a happy path and expect them to follow it."

"So get rid of free will."

Jungwoo doesn't think that such a casual statement would be what finally cracks Doyoung's smiley exterior. He not only looks absolutely peeved, but also somewhat personally offended.

"Mister Jungwoo," Doyoung begins, his voice with an edge and a lightly curled fist at his side. "You have no idea what you're asking. No idea the implications it could have. For yourself, and more importantly, for us."

"Oh dear, someone's drunk," Jaehyun nods in apology at Jungwoo and makes an attempt to usher Doyoung away, in vain.

"Can you imagine, Jaehyun?" Doyoung stands rooted to the spot, eyes boring into Jungwoo's. "A universe without gods." He spins towards a blank Jaehyun and shakes him by the arms. "Are you listening to this? That’s why he’s so perfect. That’s why he’s an anomaly. He’s come to kill us."

“Wait, what?” Jungwoo asks.

"Alright, I think it's time for us to leave," Jaehyun laughs all too forcefully. He shoves a small gift bag towards Jungwoo and doubles his attempts to remove himself and Doyoung from the premises.

For the next minute, Jungwoo swears he fell into something of a standing dream. His vision fogs and the noises of the party music sound distant, as if underwater. He shakes his head and that only makes everything even more muggy. He squints, seeing two bodies receding through the crowd. 

He looks down at the gift bag, and through the tissue peeks out a single rubber duck. 

When Jungwoo looks up again, they are gone.

//

"Can you imagine if gods couldn’t handle multithreading?"

They decide to meet up at the rooftop of a skyscraper that afternoon. Not that they necessarily need to be at any height to see and hear and feel what any human in the city did. But up here, Jaehyun believes the altitude gives him a more holistic view of things. And you can't tell a god his beliefs are wrong. That's essentially murder.

Doyoung rolls over onto his stomach to give the other god a cheery smile. "Do you ever not think about work for one microsecond?"

Jaehyun stares evenly out into the sky. "There are 1.276 million inhabitants as part of our assignment. Even if we had decided to split up the population-"

"-which you didn't allow."

"-splitting that up even further by the one day - 24 hours - that would force us to complete the program update of each human in-"

“Very little time, yeah I get it, you nerd. And since we _can_ handle multithreading, I ask you again, Jaehyun. Can you stop thinking about this assignment for a bit?"

"I'm not always thinking about work. Just because I don't share it with you doesn't mean I don't think it."

"So share." Doyoung shimmies towards Jaehyun with his elbows. "The celestial net is down and I'm literally dying of boredom. I swear I won't fall asleep this time."

Jaehyun flicks a lone pebble across the pavement and over the edge of the building. Just as it took flight, it transforms into a tiny egg, growing in size until it cracks open and out pops a chick. Within a fraction of a second, the chick goes through half a lifetime as it grows in front of their eyes. The now fully-formed sparrow flaps its wings and is off. When Jaehyun speaks again, his voice sounds flat.

"It's rather hot for February, isn’t it?"

"Amazing. I ask you to talk about something else for a change, and you choose the weather."

"It's a serious question."

When Jaehyun looks at Doyoung, his face isn't its usual calm demeanor. It isn't openly apparent, but there’s a sliver of doubt there, a weakness he’s allowing to be exposed.

"Humans. It's what they do now, apparently."

"But _we_ control humans. And I don't remember our office getting any group order to speed up the warming cycle. It’s not as if we couldn’t handle it. But why were we left out of the loop?"

Doyoung bites his lip before shaking his head. He pushes himself up and dusts the gravel off his arms, looking as disinterested as possible. "Not our jurisdiction. Planet-wide affairs are above us. Best we not dwell in it."

Jaehyun stays silent for a moment longer. When he talks again, that previous trace of hesitancy is gone and is now replaced with a playful tone.

"So. Jungwoo, then."

"I _told_ you not to talk about work-related topics."

"I have a possible debugging solution.” 

“But we’ve already run him in debug mode,” Doyoung groans. “And it’s useless. He works fine there because it runs him synchronously.”

“This isn’t a solution involving our powers. You know what, nevermind. You can't carry it out, anyway."

"What do you mean I can't? Did you just insinuate I'm incapable, mister Jaehyun?"

“Maybe less of a can’t,” Jaehyun stretches out his back, throwing his arms up in the air. “And more of a shouldn’t.”

“That phrase? Coming from the employee of the century? I eat your shouldn’ts for breakfast.”

“Try this idea for a taste, then.”

“Alright, whatever. I’m listening.”

Jaehyun leans forward, a glint in his eyes. “Humans have a name for a program like him. They call it a CAPTCHA.” 

“Hold on - are you really stooping down to human intelligence for a god’s problem?”

“Please, listen. This CAPTCHA is purposefully designed by a program so that no program, itself, or any other one, can crack it. Even if that program has access to the source code used to generate that CAPTCHA. The only ones who can pass the test? Humans.” Jaehyun concludes, looking mighty pleased with himself.

“Uh, so we hire a human to do our work?”

“No, you go down there and get to know him as humans do.”

“But the dude hates my guts.”

“So don’t be a creep to him next time.” 

Doyoung holds the back of his neck. Sooner or later, he really is going to get a headache dealing with this god. “Why me? Why can’t you do this?” 

“You come off as humanlike.” 

“You take that back.” 

“Honestly, though, your years of spitting in the face of everything us gods stand for has made you sort of an expert in human disguises.” 

“I see what you’re doing. Don’t play dumb with me. How do I know this isn’t some scheme of yours to get me doing all the dirty work.” 

“Believe me, if I took that kind of role then I’d be putting both of us on the line. And you know I’d much rather do things myself if I can help it,” Jaehyun holds up his hands in surrender. “Consider this a compliment.” 

“That’s some hot bull. I’m not going down there alone,” Doyoung throws a wary glance at the city below. “That boy is dangerous.”

//

Being a temporarily broken body does little to slow Jungwoo down. Fortunately, his right arm is still perfectly functioning to get about his day. The main issue came about when he has to travel farther than the campus perimeters.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles as the car pulls up to the supermarket.

"Sorry for what?" Taeyong hops out first and opens the passenger door. "I needed to get my groceries done, too."

"I can still drive with one arm. The doc was being too picky."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that's against the law. He was just looking out for ya."

The two make their way inside the building, each grabbing an empty cart from the front entrance. They then separate to grab their own groceries, with Taeyong heading towards the produce section while grumbling about how his roommate suddenly switched to an all-organic diet. Jungwoo had just picked up his first item off the list when he eyes a familiar face entering the dairy aisle.

"Jungwoo!" waves Doyoung.

It’s not that they live in a particularly small town or anything. But for someone who he is pretty sure he'd never seen before today, it’s a strange occurrence to see them in his own neighborhood store. Jungwoo slowly allows himself to wave back.

"Fancy seeing you here," Doyoung says when he got near. "Look, I just wanted to apologize. I know our first meeting didn't exactly paint me as the nicest guy. But can I try again? I promise I'm not an ass."

Jungwoo gives the man a thought. Maybe the fall from the tree knocked out some of his short-term memory, but he doesn't remember Doyoung looking like this.

Dressed in a simple white tee, relaxed corduroys, and a pair of beaten sneakers, Doyoung could've passed for any college student on campus. At this proximity, Jungwoo notes that the man didn't wear any strong cologne, but rather let off a fresh and clean smell. Depending on the school and major, that bit may or may not be on par with the stereotypical student.

But it’s Doyoung's overall presence that strikes Jungwoo the most. It has a hint of familiarity, a sort of comforting feeling, soft and unintimidating. His expression is open and warm and trusting, all contradictory to Jungwoo's first run-in with him. But Jungwoo also feels nervousness exuding from him. A hidden fear, an old pain, apprehension covered over by a cynical mask. As if Doyoung is human, after all.

It’s this drop of the facade that Jungwoo uses to make his decision on. Hesitant, ever so hesitant, he extends his unbroken arm.

"Nice to meet you, Doyoung."

To which Doyoung's smile blooms two-fold.

//

Their car breaks down in the middle of the freeway on the way to dinner.

Fortunately, they still have enough energy from the sputtering engine to merge into the emergency curb.

"Damn it," Taeyong kicks the wheel hub. "This has never happened to me before."

Jungwoo can't help but feel partially responsible, with him and his bad luck being in the car and all. This certainly isn't _his_ first stalled car experience. He puts his good elbow on the roof. "Your insurance might cover this."

"Maybe." After minutes of looking through his dashboard for a physical copy, then resorting to resetting his password and logging into his online insurance profile, and finally calling the company (and then being put on hold for eons), Taeyong groans. "Maybe not."

"It's alright. Let's call the tow truck. I'll chip in for half."

Taeyong points a finger at Jungwoo. "You will do no such thing."

"You know this wouldn't have happened if I weren't here."

"Don't." Taeyong sternly glances at Jungwoo before looking back down at his phone with a begrudging sigh. "I guess I can call Johnny to pick us up for now."

No more than a minute passes when another car pulls up ahead of them.

"How did he know we were here?" Taeyong whispers as Jaehyun steps out of the car.

Jungwoo shrugs. “Must’ve been in the area.”

Taeyong squints even harder. "Before or after the car broke down?"

“Just give him a chance, yeah?” Jungwoo says before diverting his attention to Jaehyun, "Hey! We're glad you were around. Right, Taeyong?"

"Uh huh," Taeyong makes no attempt to clear away the distrust etched on his face.

"Hi," Jaehyun strolls over to their car, hands in his pockets. He nods at the car. "I can fix that."

"Oh yeah? What are your credentials?" Taeyong rounds on him. "I'm not letting any rando mess around with my baby."

"I've fixed many machines before."

"Are you a mechanic or something?"

"Or something," Jaehyun confirms.

"I don't believe you."

"Okay, how about this offer? If I break this one in the process of fixing it, then I'll buy you another car."

Taeyong gasps, fully disgusted by the idea. "How dare you, sir? My baby can't be bought or replaced. And neither can I." He turns to Jungwoo. "Is this why you like him?"

Jungwoo's eyes widen in shock. "He's kidding, Jaehyun," he lets out an awkward laugh and swatted at imaginary mosquitoes in front of his face. "Inside joke."

Jaehyun is seemingly unfazed by the indirect confession. "Can you open the hood?"

"Fine," Taeyong says. "But just remember, if you hurt my car, I hurt you."

Jaehyun looks at Taeyong with the same polite smile that he greeted them with. Taeyong makes a face before he ducks into his car to open the hood.

"How could you tell him?" Jungwoo whispers when the two are standing at the trunk-end of the car, far enough away from Jaehyun toying with the engine for a private conversation.

"I said you 'like' him. That could mean as friends, can't it?"

"But what if he took it to mean like-like?"

"What are we, in middle school?" Taeyong's voice softens at Jungwoo's pleading expression. "You can do better than him, Jungwoo. And besides, you said he and Doyoung are together, aren't they?"

Jungwoo opens his mouth and then closes it again. "I don't know. But that's all the more reason he can't know my feelings."

"If he knows, then he doesn't care. Just look at him."

The two peek over the open hood just in time for Jaehyun to look up and make eye contact with them. Jungwoo yelps and nearly falls back on Taeyong.

"All done!" Jaehyun says as he closes the hood.

"That was fast," Taeyong raises a brow.

"I took the average time of a mechanic with 5-years experience."

"So... you _are_ a mechanic."

Jaehyun shows Taeyong that frustratingly calm smile again, but stays silent. He looks at Jungwoo, his smile more hesitant. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

"No, we're good now. But thank you! I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything."

"Of course I do!" Jungwoo laughs. "I'm serious. You've saved us good money."

"But we're not conducting a business," Jaehyun says, confused. "No need to return a transaction between us. We’re more than that, aren’t we?"

Despite noticing Taeyong's massive eye-roll from his peripherals, Jungwoo would be lying if he said that Jaehyun's statement didn't make his stomach flutter just a little bit.

Jaehyun pats the car hood. "I'd like to provide whatever I can to make your life better. Please let me know when you need me again."

He turns to leave when Taeyong clears his throat. "And this isn't cheating how?"

"How am I cheating?" Jaehyun asks, more curious than concerned.

"Don't pretend. You and Doyoung are together, aren't you?"

"Together?" Jaehyun thinks briefly. "I suppose."

"Unbelievable. And here you are, hitting on Jungwoo."

"Ah, I'm sorry if my advances warrant such crude language."

"How else are we supposed to take that ‘we’re more than that’ bullshit? Also, why can't you talk normal, anyway?"

Jaehyun looks between the two of them. "And how does wanting to establish a closer bond with Jungwoo make me a cheater?"

"Are you serious? Alright, Jungwoo, let's ask Doyoung how he feels about that."

"But Doyoung already knows what I'm doing."

At that, Taeyong and Jungwoo look at each other blankly before turning to Jaehyun.

"Doyoung already knows?" Jungwoo's voice trails off.

Jaehyun nods. "If that's cleared your concerns, then I'll be off now. And again, please feel free to reach out to me. For anything," he adds with sincerity. And Jungwoo can't help but feel warm.

"Hey." When Taeyong gets Jaehyun's attention again, he makes a 'v' with his fingers and points at his eyes, and then at Jaehyun's. "Got it?"

The ever-consistent one, Jaehyun shows him that annoyingly bright smile again before leaving.

//

"So, how are things going?"

"Swimmingly," comes a response through grit teeth.

Jaehyun sits, back straight as a rod, in front of a holographic display that keeps switching among thousands of files of code across the cosmic screen. The switches increase in speed until they are a massive shower of stars. 

Doyoung wants to ask why Jaehyun ended up downgrading the planned car crash into a minor breakdown before proceeding to fix it, himself. But he has a vague idea what the unspoken answer would be.

"I can't figure him out."

Jaehyun's voice maintains its stability, but Doyoung can pick out the veiled frustration. The two had been alternating adding bits of information they could make out from their on-site research, trying to understand Jungwoo's program from outside-in. Every time they thought they understood his workings, Jungwoo had thrown yet another wrench by acting just slightly contrary to their predictions. And that contradiction made all the difference to throw the logic out entirely.

Jaehyun waves an arm, scattering the dots of light to the side. "This is, without a doubt, the worst code I've ever compiled."

"But it compiles."

Jaehyun gives Doyoung a tired look.

"Dude, you need to embrace it," Doyoung snaps his fingers and the stars took back their place. "Even good gods write bad code."

Jaehyun lightly snorts, blowing a few stars out. "I used to be good."

"Shut up," Doyoung spins the concocted chair Jaehyun is sitting in until he faces the other. Holding onto the armrests on either side, he leans forward with marked resolution. "The best code got there after a long series of refinements, not shat out all at once by some mythical god of perfection. And no, Winwin doesn’t count. You _are_ going to write bad code, Jaehyun. You are _not_ defined by it."

"Tell that to the code reviewer tomorrow."

Despite Jaehyun's snark, Doyoung catches a whiff of relief from the other's aura, a calmness washing over the knotted tension that was so palpable earlier. Doyoung lets himself smile as he pushes himself away.

"Don't worry, we got this."

//

Rumor has it that all the “Hello Worlds” written by budding programmers - gods and humans alike - were once sent to Winwin’s inbox. All up until one day when he got fed up, packed his bags, and left the planet. He was never heard from again.

//

"I swear, he's following us," Taeyong hisses under his breath.

The restaurant isn't terribly upscale, but its appetite on their wallets is enough to make it a destination for only special occasions. At the far end of the floor from them, adjacent to the windows showing nightfall over the city, a familiar face takes his seat.

"You think so?"

Jungwoo is usually the type to give people the benefit of the doubt. But what are the chances of running into someone on the side of the road _and_ at their destination? He is about to turn back to his menu when the tinkling of the bells signals a newcomer.

In enters Doyoung with a flourish, in all his extravagant glory.

"Oh, they're on a date," Taeyong says casually. "That's alright, then."

As Jaehyun waves to get Doyoung's attention, Jungwoo catches himself staring.

And so does Doyoung. He turns on his expensive heels and makes his way straight for them, instead.

"Are we distracting you?" Doyoung hovers over their table, hands placed in pockets of pressed, smartly fitted pants. "You were staring quite intensely."

"Doyoung!" Taeyong grins his heart out, before continuing in an apologetic tone. "I'd offer you to join us, but it's Jungwoo's birthday dinner. And he doesn't like you."

Jungwoo has always been fond of his friend’s honesty. But at this time, he would rather melt into a puddle under the table to avoid how Doyoung might react to that. But instead of feeling offended, Doyoung let out a melodic laugh, resonant and unrestrained.

“Pity. Jaehyun would’ve loved your company.”

"Wait!" Jungwoo blurts before he can bite his tongue, and then internally scolds himself for doing so. Resigned, he finishes, "Enjoy your meal."

Doyoung looks over his shoulder, and smiles like he's heard Jungwoo's thoughts.

"You wouldn't have been okay if they sat with us, right?" Taeyong asks once Doyoung is a safe distance away.

Jungwoo isn't sure how he feels. He glances over as Doyoung takes a seat across Jaehyun, and wonders if these chance meetings held any larger meaning. Jungwoo isn't the religious type, but fate is always a curious concept. On whether it’s all an arbitrary chain of random events until the end of time, or if anything happens for a reason. Jungwoo begins to think it'd be nice if the latter were true.

He shakes it off and redirects his focus to his own table. Taeyong throws furtive glances at his phone in between perusing the menu. Guy was never a slick one.

"Johnny hasn't texted you all day, huh?"

Taeyong whips his head up with a scoff. "You mean that pest hasn't bothered me all day," he checks his phone screen once again before mumbling, "must've died or something."

Jungwoo grins. Never a good liar, his friend.

"Anyway," Taeyong waves his hand to change the conversation. "This is your night. So, have you thought up of a birthday wish yet?"

"I told you, I don't want one."

Shouts are heard from the restaurant's kitchen just a few feet away. Following that is a blast that overtakes all of Jungwoo's senses. A wave of fire billows through the restaurant, followed by smoke that made it impossible to see or hear. 

Within seconds, Jungwoo is sprawled on the floor. His left cheek stings something awful and the hairs on his neck is on end from the sudden heat. He gasps for air, and intakes a lungful of grit and soot, making him double up in coughs. Muffled shouts and trampling is heard all around him. He tries to yell for Taeyong, and ends up coughing again.

He feels arms gently maneuvering his body to be picked up. Jungwoo is still blind from the smoke and he can't make out who it is. He gropes for their neck and wraps his arms tight around it, burrowing his face into their chest so he could breathe.

When they step out, the heat outdoors is hardly any cooler but it's out of harm’s way. They walk a safe distance away from the building to where a crowd is gathered. Jungwoo pulls his head up to see who rescued him, blinking away the tears from the acrid smoke.

And down smiles Doyoung.

Doyoung sets him down on the ground and holds him steady until Jungwoo is good on his feet. He lifts Jungwoo's chin with one hand and gently runs his other hand over Jungwoo's now-throbbing cheek. And just like that, Jungwoo's pain is gone.

But Jungwoo is too preoccupied to notice, because he doesn't know where Taeyong is. He spins around and starts pushing through the crowd aimlessly, calling his friend's name. Doyoung might be calling him, too, or is he calling for someone else? Jungwoo's ears are still ringing so he can't quite make out.

An arm reaches out amidst the crowd and grabs his wrist. And Jungwoo practically collapses on Taeyong in sobs.

"Hey, it's alright! See, we're both fine," Taeyong murmurs as he rubs Jungwoo's back with comforting circles.

Jungwoo releases Taeyong and finally notices Jaehyun standing in front of the two. Jungwoo's used to seeing Jaehyun with a calm demeanor, with emotions only sparingly displayed. But right then, his face is an absolute wreck. He's looking at Jungwoo and his expressions contort into pain and are only smoothed over into something more subtle when he registers Jungwoo looking back at him.

"We're all fine," Doyoung adds, now on Jungwoo's side. He has his eyes trained on Jaehyun.

Jungwoo turns towards Doyoung. "Thank you for pulling me out of there."

To which Doyoung places a hand over his chest and bows lightly. He looks back at Jaehyun and nods at him. And with that, the two leave.

//

"I can't do this anymore."

The gods have relocated on top of a broadcasting tower near the outskirts, where they had a fair view of the city’s night skyline. They sit on one of the beams at the top, dangling their legs down hundreds of feet above the ground.

Now that they are alone, Jaehyun has removed his mask again. His feelings are as exposed and bare and as vulnerable as Doyoung had ever seen them. They radiated off the god's corporeal body and surrounded himself with an aura that extended into the nearby god's.

Doyoung might have felt a headache or two during the time they had worked together on this assignment, but the current ache he’s feeling is different. This is an ache that’s causing him real pain. Pain that gods are unaccustomed to.

Beings on their plane aren't the physical lot. Their natural state isn't matter, but pure energy. The lack of the physical self comes with an unfamiliarity to physical consolation when they do put themselves into human form. But Doyoung feels it right just then, just once, to place a hand on Jaehyun's knee. When Jaehyun looks up in mild shock, Doyoung nods.

"Then we stop."

//

While social and scientific renaissances have always been praised, humans have gone through an equally poignant emotional upheaval as part of their evolution.

For most of history, the constant danger of death led to an a-ha moment: more numbers in your pack mean better chances of survival. And so, humans evolved the ability to form emotional bonds. They wove this net from the most nuclear relationships to the wider communities of loyalty and affection. The power of attachment proved far more effective than any fang or poison. With this newfound weapon, the species took over the world.

Perhaps due to the increase in free time, attachments split up into several forms. The most dangerous of these was the one involving passion, romantic love. Philosophers agreed that such a love was not only useless, but detrimental to our survival as an individual. Romantic love was looked upon as a kind of sickness, and rightfully so.

It makes us do some real stupid shit.

//

The buzzing of the doorbell startles Jungwoo just as he is dozing off, snapping him awake.

"Doyoung?"

Jungwoo stands at the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He isn't sure if he is still dreaming but he swears this man kept getting more and more beautiful with every meeting. In front of him stands quite possibly an angel in plain sight. In his hands is a glass baking dish wrapped at the top in aluminum foil, carefully secured but unable to hide the aroma of the freshly baked concoction below.

"Had a late night baking spree, I dunno, some spell took over me but I swore I'd stick to my diet this time so, well. Here I am," Doyoung lifts the tray he held.

"Oh, that's- Come in," Jungwoo moves to the side, pleasantly surprised.

Doyoung strolls inside and places the tray on the counter. He then removes the foil, grabs himself a giant piece of brownie with his bare hands, and forms a trail of crumbs all the way to the living room sofa where he plops down.

"What... happened to your diet," Jungwoo stares at the mess, slack-jawed.

"This is it," Doyoung casually motions at the gooey brownie in one hand while licking a chocolate-coated finger. He reverts his attention back to his surroundings. "You live alone?"

Jungwoo makes sure his sigh doesn't register in the other's ears. "I live with a roommate who's kind of prefers if we didn't get infested with ants."

"But you’re fine with it?" Doyoung raises his brow in jest.

"What happened to you wanting not to be an asshole?"

"Hence, the brownies."

"And then the mess?”

"What mess?"

Jungwoo turns back towards the dining hall and freezes. Not only are the crumbs on the floor gone, but the entire dining area and kitchen are gleaming. The sink, the countertops, the stove all literally shine in front of him. Even the letter magnets on the fridge are neatly ordered off to the side. A few letters make up a phrase in the center:

WHAT MESS?

All this time, Jungwoo has forgotten to breathe. He gasps, and with the little energy that hadn't already been knocked out of him, he says faintly, "what the hell."

"Why is it always _hell_ nowadays? We do all the work, and they get all the praise. The world is so unfair."

"Doyoung," Jungwoo’s voice registers barely above a whisper as gestures at the scene in front of him. “Do you see this?”

"That's what I've been telling you," Doyoung presses, looking unperturbed. "Look, I said I was gonna try, right? This is me trying."

Jungwoo looks at the man, confused. "What happened..."

Doyoung grins up at him. "Why, I did, of course!"

It takes an hour for Jungwoo to wrap his head around it all. And even then, he can't help but ask the same questions over and over again because the answers he'd previously received can't possibly be right.

"And you're a god?"

"For the last time, those are your words, not mine. I'm a being living in a plane above the humans, and my capacities include the design, planning, and implementation of individual lifespans. A god?" Doyoung stretches the syllable, and laughed. "Maybe to some forms."

"What if I still don't believe you?"

"Fine by me. Like I said, I'm being a non-asshole in the only way that I know how," Doyoung concludes by conjuring up a vast abyss below their feet, as if their sofa is floating in outer space.

Jungwoo yelps in alarm and brings his feet up to his chest. Once his racing heartbeat subsides, he points an accusatory finger at Doyoung's hand. "I know what that was. Pot brownies."

"Must've been some pretty rad pot for _you_ to get high after _I've_ eaten them."

"Okay then. Make something else appear- holy _shit_."

Their surroundings transform back into Jungwoo's living room. And immediately after appears a momentarily peeved Jaehyun standing in front of their sofa.

"Why is it that their holy objects are never anything nice," Doyoung pouts at the unimpressed Jaehyun. "Always shit this, crap that. Do our miracles not hold that much value anymore or what?"

"What in _heaven_ are you doing," Jaehyun says cheerily. "Opening yourself to a human? And doing so when I'm your partner? Do you want us all to die?"

"Are gods not immortal?" Jungwoo asks, surprising himself as he realized he's still conscious and upright.

Jaehyun's glance flickers over to Jungwoo, but only momentarily before he goes back to emit a death glare at his partner. "Explain yourself."

Doyoung sits forward, clasping his hands together. "I've decided this subject needed a closer analysis."

"Oh, _you've_ decided? All on your own?"

"Now I know you're not a fan of my unconventional methods, but hear me out. This human is unconventional."

"Pardon my French, but unconventional my butt. He was forked from the same master branch as everyone else."

"But imagine the secrets we might find if this CAPTCHA becomes," Doyoung leans closer, cupping his hands but still perfectly audible to the third person in the room. "Self-aware."

"Are you guys talking about me?"

The two pause and look at Jungwoo.

"Jungwoo," Jaehyun says in that utterly polite voice of his, keeping eye contact with Doyoung. "Do you think of yourself to be special?"

"Uh. I mean. We're all kind of special in our own ways."

Doyoung snorts. Jaehyun looks at Jungwoo this time and asks again. "But are you special enough to warrant a private meeting with higher beings?"

"I honestly wish I weren't."

"You and me, both," Jaehyun smiles sadly at Jungwoo before giving an I-told-you-so glare at Doyoung.

Jungwoo continues playing volley between his two unprompted guests. "Is that what it is, then? I'm some kind of super rare human?"

"In a way," Doyoung materializes another piece of brownie into his hands. Said brownie promptly makes its way into Doyoung's mouth before he speaking amidst loud chewing. "It's really what's inside you that's rare."

"Like, my soul?"

"Your codebase," Jaehyun pipes up, a sudden twinkle in his eye as he starts rambling doubled-speed. "We’ve never seen anything like it. Machine learning is one thing in theory. In practice, artificial intelligence is nothing but a million conditional statements based on the assumption that the variables are finite and that the answer key will never change. But in your case? Your variables are fluctuating in this beautifully synchronized dance with your answer key. All without us needing to make a single update." 

Doyoung pinches the bridge of his nose. "What he's trying to say is, yes. Yes, your soul is rare."

"About free will, then..."

"Much akin to an electron's path around the nucleus-"

"I swear, Jaehyun, if you go on one more of your nerdy tangents instead of answering his questions, I'm gonna let myself be known to every single human in this damn city." Doyoung turns towards Jungwoo. “Of course your free will exists. But so does ours. And we just happen to be a teensy bit more powerful.”

"So what now?" Jaehyun asks, folding his arms. "You've made him aware of us. Does that change anything?"

"Unfortunately, no," Doyoung takes a bite out of another piece of brownie. The rest of his words could barely be understood by a god, much less a human. "Thought some magical backdoor would open up to his codebase, but no. He's still a black box."

Jaehyun allows himself to roll his eyes because at this point, he might as well. There are minutes to go before the day is over and there's still one unfinished story in this city. They're screwed with this assignment.

"I guess this is it, then," Doyoung says happily to Jungwoo. He offers a (now clean) hand to shake. Jungwoo reluctantly takes it.

"Will I ever see you guys again?"

Doyoung looks at Jaehyun silently, waiting. But of course that coward would have nothing to say. Doyoung figured even before pulling this crazy stunt that giving Jaehyun time to confess and come clean wouldn't work. Jaehyun is a by-the-book stickler for the rules, through and through. But Doyoung had hoped that Jaehyun would prove him wrong. What a silly thing hope is. It brings you down even when you weren't up to begin with.

"Guess not, kid. This is goodbye, then-"

"No," Jungwoo cuts Doyoung off. "You can't leave yet."

Doyoung and Jaehyun share a look.

"Not before I tell you this. Otherwise, I might regret it for the rest of my life and I hate holding regrets. Doyoung, I don't not like you."

"Um. Thanks?" Doyoung raises a brow, unsure what to make of that statement.

"And Jaehyun, I do like you. Or what I've learned about you in the one day I've known you, anyway. But I wish I can learn more. What I'm trying to say is, I wish you guys would stay longer. There. I said it. I made a wish on my birthday. Taeyong would be proud of me."

Doyoung stares wide-eyed at Jungwoo before looking to see Jaehyun's reaction. The god stays shockingly calm, showing only a grateful smile.

"We can grant many wishes. But we can't grant that particular wish, I'm afraid."

Jungwoo toes the ground. "It's alright. I wasn't expecting anything. Thank you for looking over me today."

"It was my honor."

"That's it?" Doyoung can't help but ask Jaehyun. "Don't you have something else to say?"

"Goodbye?"

A minute passes with no words exchanged, and Jungwoo thinks Doyoung's glare at the completely unfazed Jaehyun could kill. That is, if gods could die. He still isn’t sure how these gods worked.

Midnight strikes, and then they are gone.

//

"He likes me! He said he likes me!"

With his stoic, professional suit shed off, Jaehyun is literally up in the clouds. He zooms through them, making eights and freefalls and corkscrews.

"What does it matter, when you didn't do anything about it?" Doyoung stays hovering in one place. "He doesn't even know you like him back."

Jaehyun slows down. "But I smiled? And I said that I was honored?"

"You're a goddamn idiot."

" _Doyoung._ "

"You're a," a pause, "damn idiot. You think humans can read auras like us? He saw your reaction as one of polite rejection."

"No... you must be wrong."

"As always, I'm right. You made a mistake down there, Jaehyun. And now you have to live with this regret for the rest of our lives."

"This is terrible."

"Indeed it is," a third voice materializes in between their conversion. "Pleasure to meet you two again. Gentlemen, I have your code review ready."

"The pleasure is only yours, as always," Doyoung responds. "Let's get this over with, Ten."

"As part of your assignment, you had a special human in the midst. Now, this human, I hold dear to my heart. I know I'm not supposed to pick favorites, but I did!" Ten laughs with glee and if they had bodies, Doyoung would've liked to strangle the throat that emitted that noise.

"But it appears as if you two have completely dropped the ball on him. To echo your words, Jaehyun, this is terrible."

"Please, let us explain," Jaehyun begins. "We couldn't upgrade him because his innate algorithm has already reached optimal levels of machine learning. We tried a manual override but Jungwoo only-"

"Jungwoo? This isn't about him."

Doyoung and Jaehyun share confused thoughts. They both speed through the city's recordbook and compare it with their updates to confirm that no human had been missed out.

A boom of thunder startles the two of them.

"Taeyong, you guys. I'm talking about Taeyong."

"What. I don't get it," Doyoung pulls out Taeyong's file and projects it onto the stars. "That human's quota was way off-balance. So we've applied a hotfix, right here. His system parameter for romantic interest is now reduced."

"See, that's the problem. You shouldn't have."

"Excuse me?"

"Like I said. Taeyong is special to me. And I won't have you playing around with him like some sort of fiddle."

"So, you _want_ him to be tilting positive?" Jaehyun questions, wondering if this review needed a second pair of eyes. An unbiased one, perhaps.

A long sigh later, Ten speaks again. "I want him to stay exactly how he was. Now, I can't sign off on this assignment because there's a fatal flaw, an absolutely unforgiving one, at that. And there's certainly no reason for another god to swoop in and clean up the mess you two made. So, there's only one option.

The two of you are going down there again. Tomorrow. Revert Taeyong's updates, and don't touch him ever again. Understood?"

“You think you can handle another day of me, Jaehyun?” 

Doyoung’s question doesn’t need an answer. Jaehyun’s elation is more than what words could describe, happiness in the form of warmth condensing the clouds nearby into dewdrops and enveloping the both of them and making it rain over the city. Had it not been for the code reviewer in their presence, Doyoung is sure Jaehyun would be performing cartwheels again.

“I won't regret it this time.”

//

Elsewhere at this moment, Haechan collects his betting reward from a certain disappointed understudy.

**Author's Note:**

> all of ot21 show up in this fic if u squint
> 
> jaehyun's housewarming gift is a [rubber duck](https://rubberduckdebugging.com) because jungwoo is both dojae's program and their rubber duck in a way


End file.
